INTEFIX

Fixtures for the manufacturing of low rigidity components

MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

The manufacture of structural components for the aeronautics markets is faced with a considerable number of difficulties. The needs of maximizing load capacities, along with the need of minimising energy consumption in the transport sector forces the manufacturer to use materials with high mechanical properties and at the same time reduced weights for use in the aeronautical sector. Similarly, the design of these structural components tends to use particularly slim ribbed nerves, which means that as much as 90-95% of the original blank is eliminated in the manufacture of those components. Due to variable stress in the blanks of these materials prior to processing, together with the typical asymmetry in the design of these components, the resulting distortions in the parts after the machining processes is a major problem that restricts both productivity and cost optimization in the manufacture of this type of components.

THE CHALLENGE

With the aim of solving this problem with an industrial application, IK4-IDEKO has developed a solution that touches on several points:
•A simple methodology for the characterization of the stress status of the blanks on production facilities.
•A device that, in addition to clamping the workpieces, allows to modify the stress status of the blanks in a controlled manner.
•A calculation model for the final distortion of the workpieces to be machined on the basis of their stress status and geometry.

THE RESULT

These developments have been implemented in an easy-to-handle computer tool that analyses the real condition of the workpiece and that allows a machining process that secures the end quality of the machined component and optimises processing times. This tool guides the operator through all steps for the manufacture of the machined component, making it possible for less qualified staff to operate it.
The obtained results can be summarised as follows:
•Reduction of the machining times by more than half with respect to the current production process.
•The quality of the workpieces is well within the required dimensional tolerances.